All You Need Is Now,Tapemodern ***

As bona fide pop stalwarts, Duran Duran should know how to craft a successful album by now. Yet after 2007's underwhelming Red Carpet Massacre, the quintet decided to enlist super-producer Mark Ronson to oversee their 13th studio album. Instead of a complete reinvention, however, it sounds like the partnership plays to the band's strengths. The title track, Girl Panic! and Too Bad You're So Beautifulmay sound straight out of the 1980s, but they're taut, well-paced and glossy creations, rather than saggy, dated designs. There are several futile cameos (Kelis and Ana Matronic) and schmaltzy lyric sheets (Mediterranea) in place, but tracks such as the excellent, understated Being Followedimply that creativity still abounds in camp Duran. Is it only profuse when sparked by the right producer? See duranduran.com

Download tracks:Being Followed, Runway Runaway